A major trend in intensifying insulin treatment in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes was accompanied by modest improvements in HbA1c. No insulin regimen has shown any better results, except over premixed insulins.

SUMMARY Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) has been widely studied. The objectives of this study were to evaluate and identify the factors influencing the HRQOL of children and adolescents with T1DM. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In total, 59 patients (9–16 years, T1DM for ≥1 year) responded to a version of the Diabetes Quality of Life Instrument for Youth (DQOLY) adapted to adapted to Brazilian patients, the Instrumento de Qualidade de Vida para Jovens com Diabetes (IQVJD). This instrument comprises 50 items (domains satisfaction, impact, and concerns, with the lowest scores corresponding to better HRQOL) and a questionnaire gathering social, demographic, and clinical parameters. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 13.6 years, and 57.6% were girls. The median age at diagnosis was 7.16 years, 63% presented diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at diagnosis and 29% during follow-up. Mean glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in the previous year was 10%. All patients administered multiple insulin doses (mean 4.2 applications/day), 74.5% used rapid-acting and intermediate-acting insulin analogs, and 67.8% used pens for insulin application. The results of the DQOLY were within the cutoff limit for better HRQOL. An isolated analysis of each domain and the questionnaire results showed that the following factors were associated with better HRQOL: height Z-score, lower HbA1c, practice of physical activity, use of pen, fewer hospitalizations, and residence in a rural area. There was a high DKA rate at diagnosis, and the metabolic control was inappropriate in most patients. Despite coming from low-income households, most patients had access to the recommended treatment. CONCLUSION: Among T1DM patients, 71% had IQVJD scores compatible with better HRQOL.

Background: NKX2.1 mutations have been identified in patients displaying complete or partial brain-lung-thyroid syndrome, which can include benign hereditary chorea (BHC), hypothyroidism and/or lung disease. Aims and Methods: We evaluated the recently developed Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) method to assess the relative copy number of genes. The goal was to determine if MLPA could improve, in addition to direct sequencing, the detection rate of NKX2.1 mutations in a phenotype-selected cohort of 24 patients affected by neurological, thyroid and/or pulmonary disorders. Results: Direct sequencing revealed two heterozygous mutations. Using MLPA, we identified two further heterozygous NKX2.1 gene deletions. MLPA increased the detection rate by 50%. All patients with gene deletions identified were affected by BHC and congenital hypothyroidism. Conclusion: MLPA should be considered as a complementary tool in patients with partial or total brain-lung-thyroid syndrome when direct sequencing failed to identify NKX2.1 mutations. All patients with an NKX2.1 mutation had BHC and congenital hypothyroidism, emphasizing the high prevalence of these signs associated with defective NKX2.1 alleles.